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Zach Long / AP file
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari is escorted to his initial court appearance at the Mahon Federal Building in Lubbock, Texas, Feb. 25, 2011.
A former Texas college student from Saudi Arabia was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for trying to make a bomb for use in a religious attack, possibly targeting former U.S. President George W. Bush.
Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari was sentenced in Amarillo, Texas, where jurors convicted him in June of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors say he had collected bomb-making material in his apartment and researched possible targets, including the Dallas home of Bush. A handwritten journal found in his apartment included notes that he believed it was time for "jihad," a Muslim term for holy war.
The 22-year-old Aldawsari apologized Tuesday for "these bad actions," but Judge Donald E. Walter said the evidence against him was overwhelming. Walter acknowledged he was conflicted due to Aldawsari's youth and signs that outside influences had led him astray.
"But the bottom line is that but by the grace of God there would be dead Americans," Walter said. "You would have done it. In every step, it was you all alone."
Aldawsari stood silently in shackles as the sentence was read. The formerly clean-shaven, close-cropped man now had a full beard and long hair, and appeared to have lost a lot of weight.
There is no parole in the federal system.
"Khalid Aldawsari came to this country intent on carrying out an attack," Lisa Monaco, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement. "Thanks to the hard work of agents, analysts, and prosecutors, his plot was thwarted before anyone was harmed."
Aldawsari came to the U.S. legally in 2008 to study chemical engineering. He was arrested in Lubbock, Texas, in February 2011, after federal agents searched his apartment and found explosive chemicals, wiring, a hazmat suit and clocks, along with videos showing how to make the chemical explosive TNP.
Investigators say Aldawsari's goal was to carry out jihad. His attorneys claimed he was a harmless failure who never came close to attacking anyone.
FBI bomb experts say the amounts of chemicals he had would have yielded almost 15 pounds of explosives — about the same amount used per bomb in the 2005 London subway attacks. He also tried to order phenol, a chemical that can be used to make explosives.
Court records show that his emails and journal contained the explosive's recipe.
Prosecutors said other targets he researched included nuclear power plants and the homes of three former soldiers who were stationed at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Potential targets he listed in emails sent to himself included hydroelectric dams, nuclear power plants, reservoirs in Colorado and California, and Bush's home, which he referred to as the "Tyrant's House."
Aldawsari wrote in one journal entry, "And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad," authorities said.
Prosecutors offered to show the judge a video of the possible damage Aldawsari could have done had he succeeded in assembling explosives. Walter declined.
"I'm fully aware of what 15 pounds of plastic can do," he said.
The FBI said Aldawsari did Internet searches that suggested he was considering concealing explosives in infant dolls or targeting a nightclub with an explosive concealed in a backpack.
He bought other ingredients needed to make an explosive device as well as a soldering kit, glass beakers and flasks and emailed himself instructions for turning a cell phone into a remote detonator, authorities said.
He also wrote in his notebooks about the steps needed to stage a bombing, including renting cars using different driver's licenses, setting up a remote detonation and planning a safe exit, the FBI said.
During his trial, Aldawsari's attorneys acknowledged that their client had intent but argued that he never took the "substantial step" needed to convict him.
Defense attorney Dan Cogdell repeatedly berated Aldawsari as a "failure" and poor student who never came close to threatening anyone. Aldawsari did not testify at trial, but on Tuesday he told Walter he felt lonely and isolated from his family, friends and faith.
"I am sorry for these bad actions, but none of these bad actions did harm to the United States," Aldawsari told Walter.
Aldawsari wrote in his journal that he had been planning a terror attack in the U.S. for years, even before he came to the country on a scholarship," according to court documents. He bemoaned the plight of Muslims and said he was influenced by Osama bin Laden's speeches.
Authorities said Aldawsari purchased bottles of sulfuric and nitric acids — chemicals that can be combined with phenol to create TNP.
Investigators say they were tipped to his online purchases by chemical company Carolina Biological Supply and shipping company Con-way Freight on Feb. 1, 2011. The chemical company reported to the FBI a $435 suspicious purchase, while the shipping company notified Lubbock police and the FBI because it appeared the order wasn't intended for commercial use.
Court records show that Aldawsari had successfully ordered 30 liters of nitric acid and three gallons of concentrated sulfuric acid in December 2010.
At his trial, prosecutors played recordings of a frustrated Aldawsari complaining to the supply company when his order was held up. He had allegedly told the company he wanted the phenol for research to develop a cleaning solution.
Aldawsari had transferred from Texas Tech in early 2011 to nearby South Plains College, where he was studying business. A Saudi industrial company was paying his tuition and living expenses in the U.S.
The judge moved his trial to Amarillo, about 120 milesnorth of Lubbock.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Very good news!! Now let´s get the jihad,sharia terrorist in Dearborn Mich in prison.He tried to mass murder people with his car.And all others! Zero tolerance for sharia jihad who use violence to undermine or destroy the country they have chosen to live or infiltrate .No sob stories,no excuses,These people know VERY well what they are about..and we must too!!
"Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari was sentenced in Amarillo, Texas, where jurors convicted him in June of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction"
We had WMDs in Iraq earlier and now in Iran.
As Iraq had huge "WMDs" and "chemical weapons", 1991 Iraqi war saved Kuwait ruler and his 65 wives and their golden toilets.
Also US stationed forces without Bibles to save House of Saud headed by a megalomaniac, despotic and bigoted ruler and highly corrupt, despotic, bigoted seventh century mindset 5000 princes and princesses, Saudi citizens, mosques and holy places like Mecca and Medina!
We got in return: high oil prices and hate preaching and killer training Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques all the US and other nations!
These ungrateful and backstabbing Sunni Saudis are one step ahead in WMD. Khalid was trying WMD right in the US.
We get jihad in return for saving them!!!!
rockin moroccan: You have proved what followers of Islamic cult have been saying, singing, dancing and doing since the birth of Islam, a killer cult!
Most of the Sunni Saudi and co funded mosque are Salaffi and Wahhabi. They are hate preaching and killer training centers.
We had enough garbage and explanations on "jihad." Enough is enough.
Instead of reforming the religion with times, you people go on giving some crap as explanations, spins and excuses.
House of Saud, a strict Wahhabi, is not even tolerating Prophet Mohammad’s heritage places. House of Saud consists of a megalomaniac, despotic and bigoted ruler and highly corrupt, despotic, bigoted seventh century mindset 5000 princes and princesses.
In Mecca, the house of one of the wives of Mohammed was demolished and converted into public lavatories. Mohammed’s birth place may vanish with plans to have skyscrapers, mega shopping malls and a Grand mosque!
In Medina, ten years ago a mosque of grandson of Mohammed was dynamited and the religious police were celebrating on this. There are plans to pull down three seventh century mosques in future.
British invented Saudi Arabia and put that barbaric, beastly, despotic and bigoted House of Saud as ruler. The US has kept both of them alive.
If Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are wiped out of the map, 80 percent of world problems will be solved including that of economic ones with high oil price manipulations.
I know there is a common thread in this terrorist plots here in America and abroad, just can't put my finger on it.
A. Student
B. Foreign
C. Arab Muslim
What do the rest of you think???????????????
The common thread is that we are now being targeted by others seeking our destruction because our nation is unique among all others . The freedoms and liberties our country offers means, such a lifestyle can be used against us.
We need to be on guard at all times for terrorists can walk, study and live anywhere among us. But we must not give in to daily fear, for that would do exactly what the terrorists want.spreading terror and disquiet,worry and trembling wondering if we can walk our streets, go about our daily tasks safely. To lose our sense of security and peace.
Freedom and liberty have always come at great cost. It will never be any other way. Absolute security is never guaranteed except in a prison. To quote Benjamin Franklin's famous line, Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.
He's a terrorist. The punishment for terrorism should be the same as for treason. Death. I refuse to send my taxes to feed this scum in prison for the rest of his life -- unless it is for pork ribs and bacon.
absolutely! Dubaya and Obama should be the first criminals put on trial for their terrorist activities.... both are responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent women and children.
Due to the objections of the Muslim element in the US, pork products are no longer served in any of the prisons in the US.
Not any of them.
What's the deal with pork in Muslim life?
In about 10 years regret will overtake delusion, and his life will be confined to mentally deficient company, miserable depression, and guilt ridden masturbation inspired by dreams of 79 virgins he will never see in this life.
Charles,
And he's gonna REALLY be disappointed when he finally dies and finds out that it's really 79 pissed off Virginians!
By the way, is anyone else curious as to why a Saudi Industrial company is still paying his tuition and living expenses after all these years?
Or 79 nuns.
worse than nuns would be to get those 79 pissed off virgins one week a month
How can this be? Those on the Right had always said that to try terrorists in a civilian court was a recipe for disaster? That the bad guys would go free and were obligated to use military tribunals. You mean to say that we can actually arrest, try, convict and then imprison bad guys using old fashioned police work and a motivated, professional prosecutor?
It is too bad they won't or can't execute him. That would send a strong message of zero tolerance for terrorist attacks. I am sick of the US spending money on tracking and then incarcerating these A holes. We do not need to be educating those who would kill us given half a chance.
i guess the government never got over trying to win the hearts and minds because despite all the failures they just keep trying
Why are we still letting the a'holes come in? ... and please don't say oil.
Restrict visa's for diplomat use only, and ban Islam. Isolate these murders in their own countries until they accept the laws of the civilized world.
and don't get in between Shiites vs Sunnis like battles! Every one is pumping up US and allies for doing their dirty jobs in Syria and Iran!
Followers of Islamic cult, especially Sunni Saudi inspired Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB, Taliban and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days.
They are indulging in rapings, lootings, killings and genocides of non-Muslims (Darfur, S. Sudan, Nigeria and spreading like wild fire in many regions and Muslims (Libya, Yemen, Mali, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other places).
Sunni Saudi backed Salaffi and MB new chapters are opening up in Egypt. Morsi is just a front for them. Just watch the fate of Christians, women and Israel as the time goes by.
Even in Syria, if Assad is overthrown by Sunni Islamic religious Nazis like al-Qaida, MB, the conditions of Christians will be unbearable just like Iraq.
Pakis and Sunni Saudis and co are responsible for 80 percent of world problems including economic ones. Examine the devastations with Iraqi wars and now sanctions on Iranian oil and the resultant oil price manipulations.
They are making the lives of their own people also miserable by their Islamic religious madness to the intolerable levels.
"Aldawsari's attorneys acknowledged that their client had intent but argued that he never took the "substantial step"".
So what's the big deal? He didn't actually succeed in the mass murder. He should be released back into the community right away. We should also allow unrestricted Muslim immigration from countries whose people consider us enemies. It's the "politically correct" thing to do.
Duh? There was clear intent & evidence. Why wait for the event to take place killing innocent people? I'm happy that we have businesses with enough integrity to suspect individual/group purchases that appear out of the norm & report them! America stands for freedom of rights for all; In the USA if you notice, we have less criminal activity than other countries (as long as our country & states are given adequate budgets for police services).
Religion is opium of the masses.
Saudi and Paki versions of Islam are the highest dosages of heroin.
Before Islamic cult set its foot in Afghan and Paki regions, those areas were quite prosperous and not violent as we notice now.
Islam treats girls and women as sex and children producing slaves.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are the dirtiest swamps on earth, where life is hell due to high dosage of Islam.
They are responsible for breeding and exporting Islamic radicals and terrorists all over the world. They are creating at least 80 percent of havoc all over.
Saudi Arabia through its puppet like oil companies and their lobbyists invented Iraqi wars; manipulated high oil prices; exported their Islamic extremist Salaffi and Wahhabi versions by funding their mosques all over the world.
Now along with Jewish Netanyahus, Sunni Saudis are inventing problems in Syria and again manipulating oil prices higher through sanctions on Iranian oil.
For world peace and economic stability, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have to be erased out of the map.
Even for some sections of Muslims, girls and women, it will be a liberation from the Islamic extremist barbarians and beasts.
OUCH!! that sure HURTS!!
Let me see......I am reasoning......"Was it all WORTH IT?".........Or......do I have to spend TIME in prison....to figure that one out?
Oh.....I came to AMERICA......to STUDY Engineering. I'm SMART.........or REALLY?.....Am I? Let me see, a LIFETIME in prison.........to DWELL on my mistakes.
WOW!!....that's a long time!!
You mean.....I have the "brains" to study ENGINEERING.....but NOT to figure this one out. "Oh....how stupid of me!!"
I SHOULD have known BETTER.
Better yet.......I should have STAYED in Saudi Arabia.....to RAISE a family......"Why...that's more FUN."
"Man....am I really STUPID........why didn't SOMEBODY.........tell me?"
Yah... funny reality in hindsight. He should've 1st majored in Philosophy of Life Mistakes. He came here to study Engineering? No, key word is: He focused on "CHEMICAL" Engineering. A RED FLAG WARNING.
too bad he didn't get the needle.
If this WAR is really a war then he is at least a POW and a Spy. What do we do with spies ?
@warren,
Unfortunately what we do with them is not what we probably should in the case of the terrorist. Execution and jail sentences are not a deterrent for these types of folks, but execution, done quiet and quick so as to not make a martyr of them would sure as he!! thin the heard of them out. The question then is would it be fast enough to offset the rate at which they are breeding terrorist?
The down side is that we are expecting the CIA, MI, FBI, etc to get lucky all of the time to foil the terrorist, where these terrorist idiots only have to be lucky once to succeed.